Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Special Reports

St. Louis County’s David Wrone Is Our Champion Motor Mouth!

Sometimes public officials say regrettable things. But few of them display the flagrant disregard for part of their constituency that St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic spokesperson David Wrone has.

Wrone was the runaway winner in our recent "Motor Mouths" competition to find the most clueless statement from a transportation official, by demonstrating a complete contempt for pedestrians, cyclists, or transit riders. It shouldn’t be too surprising Wrone won the Motor Mouth trophy -- after all, his remarks were the ones that inspired our whole competition. By the time we closed the poll today, 123 people had voted Wrone's quotes as the worst, fully 50 percent of the total in a seven-way contest.

Let's review the evidence against Wrone.

"We're a highway department; not a bicycle department."

- November 23, 2011, on STLToday.com

and our favorite:

“As a matter of policy, we don’t build dedicated bike lanes. St. Louis County salutes the bike-riding community, but we manage our system in the knowledge that motor vehicles comprise the vast majority of our customer base.”

- June 18, 2013, CBS St. Louis

What else can we say about David Wrone, except that he earned this title?

We'd also like to congratulate our runner up, Tulsa City prosecutor Bob Garner, who admitted to riding his bicycle on the sidewalk, in violation of the local law he himself is charged to uphold, because “that’s just exercising sound discretion for everyone concerned.”

Big thanks to our all contestants and submitters!

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Freedom to Move: Why Immigration Belongs in the Mobility Conversation

"If movement is a right, then that right must apply to everyone regardless of identity."

May 2, 2025

Friday Video: Disney World Has Some of the Best Transit In America … If You Can Get There Without a Car

Two creators break down why there isn't a train or a bus to the happiest place on Earth — and why transit within the park's walls is so much better than many American cities.

May 2, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Keep Their Eyes on the Prize

Traffic engineers often think wide, straight roads are safe. Forget that. A few trees here, a few benches there is all it takes to make drivers perk up, slow down and pay attention.

May 2, 2025

Congress Declares War on California’s Clean Air Efforts

California's emission and truck standards are the most recent federal targets.

May 1, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Behind the Mayor’s Desk

Anthony Flint of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy shares a global perspective on mayors and the challenges that connect cities around the world.

May 1, 2025
See all posts